Common Fixes to TV Reception Problems

If your digital and analogue TV's picture and sound do not seem to be working well, it may be caused by a defective TV aerial or interference. Below are the most common causes and how to troubleshoot them.

In an analogue TV

• Total reception loss - Check to see if maintenance work on a local transmitter affects your reception by using the BBC's reception problem checker tool.
• Digital switchover - Look into your Digital UK’s postcode checker to find out when your area goes digital.
• Do your neighbours have the same problem? – Determine if the neighbour is also having the same problems. A TV set connected to another aerial, probably your neighbour’s, should help you find this out.
• Proper connections – Look at the back of your TV and check if the leads and the cables are not loosely connected and they are securely plugged.
• Aerial issues – Call a professional aerial engineer if you find broken or loose aerial after a storm, heavy rain or strong wind.
• Weather conditions – Fine, warm weather has high air pressure and may affect the TV reception.
• Interference – Check if for equipment around your TV set as radios, monitors, phones, and other electrical appliances may create an interference affecting the TV reception.

In a digital TV

• Most households in the UK are now switching to digital TV from analogue TV. If you are having problems with the signal strength, below are some steps to follow to restore the TV reception.
• Re-tune – Retune the set-top box if a channel has moved or is missing from the channel list. Refer to the manufacturer’s mual on how to retune the box.
• Reset - Resetting the set-top box usually addresses this problem. Press the reset button. Turn the power off and unplug it from the wall socket. Wait for about ten seconds before you turn it back on.
• If you have performed the above options but problems about the reception persist, refer to BBC’s reception problem checker tool. If you have digital terrestrial TV or Freeview, it could be that maintenance work on your local transmitter is being carried out.

In a satellite TV

You're waiting for your favourite program on TV. Then you turn it on and you are not getting a decent signal. Worse, the picture is breaking up; pixelated and some channels are missing. Follow these steps to restore your satellite TV reception so you can start watching your favourite TV show:

• Heavy rains and strong winds can knock or blow your dish out of alignment. Get a satellite engineer to fix this problem.
• The dish needs an unblocked path to the satellite. Check if buildings, scaffolding, trees or walls are blocking the path. All these may cause interference.
• Bad weather, heavy rains and strong winds may also loosen the dish from its base. Call a satellite engineer to securely fix the dish.
• Find out if cables from the feed to the dish are not damaged and are securely connected. Loose, poorly connected cables also affect the satellite TV reception.
• A defective Low Noise Block (LNB) may cause missing channels or polarization problems. You may need to replace your LNB.

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